Why Rare and Minority Breeds?
“The more you eat the more assured is their survival”
Old-fashioned breeds are not cheap to produce, nor are they particularly efficient, they take time to mature. But their meat, rather like their appearance, is less bland and uniform than that of their modern cousins. We believe that the concept of consuming rare and minority breed meat is both good for conserving the breeds and our culinary heritage.
According to the Jacob Sheep Society - the Jacob takes its name from a story told in the Old Testament Book of Genesis.It tells how Jacob, second son of Isaac and Rebecca, became a selective breeder of pied sheep. The full story can be found here.
The appearance of a Jacob sheep is of a sheep which is alert and active. It is upstanding and deep bodied. Generally they are white with well defined black patches. Both rams and ewes are horned and these should be black in colour. The fleece is of medium quality as defined by the British Wool Marketing board.
The Hebridean Sheep Society informs us that Viking settlers brought their sheep with them when they settled the Western Isles and Highland regions of Scotland. It is agreed that these sheep were the forefathers of today's Hebrideans. The reasoning behind this is that Hebrideans are related to other North European breeds. The full story can be found here
The Hebridean is a hardy sheep which can graze on land considered poor quality for other breeds. Their grazing preferences plus this ability to graze poor quality land has promoted their use as a conservation tool in delicate ecosystems. See the National Trust for Scotland link below showing the part they play in maintaining the Culloden Battlefield.